I'm not a big fan of sardines myself, but I will say that if you grind them (or anchovies) up and bake them into bread, you get the nutrition and not so much of the taste.  You can substitute them for some oil and salt.  Grandma makes a fried dough snack with anchovies in it, although she uses enough that you can taste them, but if you use less (and not necessarily fry the dough, that's just the specific recipe she uses), it should work.  In theory that is, never actually tried it myself.  If someone tries it and it works, let me know...

If you shop smart you can eat pretty healthy for cheap.

Every week stores have sales on meat.  Wait till beef/chicken/fish are on sale and stock up like crazy and freeze it.  Buy up bottom round roasts for $7-$9 and cut them into steaks.  Add in some brown rice and veggies and you have a healthy meal for ~$3.50.

Eggs can be had for like $1.50 or less for 12 of them.  Usually way cheaper if you buy 24+ at a time at Costco.

Costco sells 5lb bags of rice for pretty cheap.  Snag one of those and you will have rice for a few months.

Tuna fish is usually .60 - .89 cents a can.  Tuna+rice+hot sauce is a great meal for ~$1.50.

Every week stores run soup sales(chunky stuff usually not the cheap/watery shit).  Snag a bunch of those for $1-$1.25 a can.  Throw a chopped up chicken breast in your chicken noodle soup and you have a pretty solid high protein/low fat meal for about $2.  Do the same with Vegetable Soup and ground beef/steak.

Potatoes are ~$3.00 for 5lbs of them.

Canned veggies are .89 - $1 a can.

Low fat cottage cheese is pretty cheap too.

Like i mentioned above the key is to hit everything when it is on sale and you can eat cheaper and more often then eating out any day of the week. 

Learn to hunt or become friends with someone that does.  At any given time during the year ive got 20+lbs of game meat stocked in my freezer(i have 3 freezers, btw. lol).

Everyone thinks eating healthy is expensive but its really not.  Its just about putting some thought into what you are buying and learning to actually cook.

And like mentioned above i hate to break it to you but that Organic stuff you are buying is basically the same as the non-organic.  You dont need to buy organic to eat healthy.  Most of it is just a big money grab.


Hope this helps. lol.  Ive been eating like this for over 12 years.

Get "light" tuna and it's going to be the lowest mercury content.  I still wouldn't want to eat more than a few cans per week, though.

Mercury puts hair on your chest!

Yup, right before it falls off!

What about family owned organic farms?  I know a number that use water filtration systems or have wells.  Packing something next to something else isn't the issue, especially with meat.  Why do you think even non-organic companies started to label stuff as not containing antibiotics and hormones?  Because it goes in us and does things.  Maybe it's just me, but I notice a huge difference in organic foods and their non-organic variety (depending on what it is).  Organic berries, for example, taste a hell of a lot better.

I'm too lazy to read this whole thread, but in college, I always thought Vodka was cheap.

1 shot = ~100 calories Fun AND nutritous.

Just leave a potato in a plastic bag for a week, it's even cheaper!

That they do.  Used to go picking blackberries with my grandpa.  We'd eat half on the way home, then my aunt would make jam with the rest.

I miss him

Hmmm, you have a Slavic background (Polish, Russian, etc.)? That's a big Slavic thing to do, especially for the older generation that would be most of our grandparents.

The only thing I buy Organic is Horizon milk, and that's only because I like the taste of it best out of all of the milks I've tried. Fruits and Veggies aren't that expensive, even for a college student (believe me, I know). Good luck.

I'm pretty sure picking berries is a big thing to do for anybody that lives near wild grown fruit...

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Well, I'm Ukrainian on my dad's side, but it was my mom's dad I did this with.  Never knew my dad's dad, he died in '85, I was 3.  Pretty sure I met him, but it was long before I ever got to a point I'd remember him.  No, it's my mom's dad that I was telling the story about, and he's Italian

Let me tell you a little story about acting. I was doing this Showtime movie, Hot Ice with Anne Archer, never once touched my per diem. I'd go to Craft Service, get some raw veggies, bacon, Cup-A-Soup... baby, I got a stew going.

Yes, they pick mushrooms, but berries too.  They have this whole foraging thing going on.  I don't mean living near berries either, they'll go out into the forest specifically to do this, even if it's not anywhere close to where they live.

I have no idea how to take this, but it's awesome advice. I think. Or an awesome porn story. Needs more cowbell either way.


And as has been said time and time again, it doesn't frakkin' matter about organic or not. That label is expensive just for the sake of bringing in a huge profit. I'm talking about nutrient value only here, not whatever hippy-sticker qualifiers they're going for about pesticides or happy cows or whatever. A carrot is a carrot is a carrot. It is worth keeping in mind that local will be fresher tasting most of the time just because it can be picked later and delivered faster. Again nutrient wise there isn't enough difference to write home about, but it's worth remembering your local farmers markets if you can. The prices aren't (at least here) too much higher than grocery store prices when the growing season is on.

Oh and make sure you get your fiber. Good for the pooper, and that's important you know.

i am totally going on your hot tea and tuna diet.

Usually what I do to eat better is take these Hungry Man Sports Dinners (2 for $3.50 on sale, and each is a pound of food) save half the meat for later and boost the portions back up with frozen vegetables or something.

Another good thing is if you drink soda, set up a cut off time in the day and switch over to water; it'll save you a little money and you'll won't get as wired.

Fruit-wise bananas and pineapple are fairly cheap, use the first in cereal and the second in yogurt or something.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. There's still plenty of meat on that bone. Now you take this home, throw it in a pot, add some broth, a potato. Baby, you've got a stew going